• Do you want to be able to update your own content?
• Do you want good search engine optimization (SEO) without knowing the first thing about it?
• Do you want awesome valid semantic code without even trying hard?

We’ve been using Wordpress for years to build business websites. Years ago, in our quest to find a simple-to-use, open-source content management system for our small business clients, we tried just about every platform out there. Everything we tried (I’m not naming names, but you know who you are) was OVERKILL (meaning confusing and overwrought) for our clients who just wanted to be able to update their own pages and keep a blog for events and news items. In addition, many of the other CMS programs we tried produced the most heinous code, full of table tags and in many cases, code that would not validate without a major overhaul.

WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms on the web.  But what many people don’t know is that it is also a powerful, user-friendly, FREE Content Management System (CMS) that can be used for much more than just blogging. With WordPress you can build a blog, a website, or both.

By using Wordpress for your small to medium business website, you also get the following:

• Search Engine Optimization – WordPress provides REALLY good search engine optimization (SEO) right out of the box.
• Control of your content -  It is easy for non-technical users to update content on a Wordpress website without knowing HTML. Do you have to wait for your webmaster every time you want to make a small change to your website? Once WordPress is set up for you, you can easily create new pages or edit existing pages using a simple rich text editor.
• Did we mention it’s FREE? – Wordpress is an open-source platform, which means you don’t have to shell out big bucks for a license to use it for your website.  It’s ideal for small to medium size businesses who don’t have a huge web budget.

Wordpress 3.0 launched June 17th and we are very excited about the new features. Look for an upcoming post with highlights about the new version and how they can be leveraged by business websites.

Don’t throw them out!!

Mail them to the Qpon Qutie: 1720 Mars Hill Rd. Ste 8 #335 Acworth, GA 30101

Let me tell you about Qpon Qutie….We were contacted a few weeks ago to do some back-end automation programming for QponQutie.com, and we think what she’s doing on her site is really cool, so we wanted to share!

I’ve seen lots of coupon sites/blogs where it seems so complicated, I can’t even imagine starting. Qpon Qutie, breaks everything down for you and even teaches a class on how to get started stacking and doubling coupons with the best of them.

If you live in the Atlanta area, she primarily focuses on stores and offers in our area (Publix, Target, Kroger, CVS) but the principles behind really maximizing using coupons can be applied anywhere.

Check out her Getting Started page and Qpon Dictionary for quick insight on how to start doing this for yourself. You can also hear tips and tricks from her every Friday morning on KIX 101.5FM for the duration of the summer.

One of the most important parts of optimizing your website for search engines (SEO) is knowing what keywords and phrases to optimize. You need to determine what words and phrases potential customers are using to search for you (and your competitors!).

The Google keyword tool is an easy to use free resource for small businesses (or anyone!) looking to determine what keywords and phrases consumers are using to search for their particular products, services and expertise. It will generate keyword ideas based on descriptive words or phrases you enter or based on your website’s content. For each keyword phrase, it will show you:

• Local Monthly Search Volume
• Global Monthly Search Volume
• Advertisers Competition – This is an indication of how much competition there is for a particular phrase in Google Adwords. The lower the competition, the lower the bid for a Google Ad ~ This doesn’t really affect determining your keyword phrases unless you are planning on bidding on AdWords, but still offers insight into how popular certain phrases are.

The Petal Factory is a family owned and operated business located in the Atlanta area. They are unique in that they specialize in both wedding flower décor and freeze-dry floral preservation, the most advanced method of preserving flowers.

We designed the original Petal Factory site 6 or 7 years ago (way back in the day!) and we were so pleased to be able to be involved in the redesign to bring the site to current web standards and trends.

The owner, Candice, wanted the new site to be classy & elegant (but still fun & unique) while really showcasing the flowers. The site uses an image gallery to allow the owners to add and organize new photos into their portfolio as needed.

Constant Contact®, Inc. champions small businesses, associations, and nonprofits to help them connect with their customers, clients, and members easily and affordably. More than 350,000 organizations worldwide use Constant Contact’s industry-leading email marketing and online survey tools.

They create professional-looking email communications and online surveys to inform their audience and get feedback that ultimately result in closer relationships and tangible business growth.

Constant Contact supports customers every step of the way with award-winning, unlimited, free customer service. Plus, Constant Contact provides high email deliverability rates due to its strong ISP partnerships, no-tolerance spam policy, and participation in anti-spam industry groups.

See how far a FREE 60-Day Trial can take your business!
Put the power of Email Marketing to work for you.

Sign up for a FREE 60-Day Trial

• No monthly fees - you only pay fees on a per transaction basis which is great for businesses that do a small or unpredictable monthly volume via credit card.
• Paypal handles the security – this eliminates the need for your site to be PCI compliant because the transaction is not handled on your site.  This saves you money on site set up.
• Paypal buttons or the Paypal shopping cart are relatively quick and easy to set up compared to a full-fledged shopping cart.

Here are a few designs currently in progress where I was happy to incorporate this snazzy little image slideshow. The license is an extremely reasonable $19.95, plus our regular hourly rate to install it. Depending on where it’s to be incorporated, this can be less than an hour.

Hidden Grove »
Russell Pool, Co. »
Party Chic »